cuckoo roller

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cuckoo roller

bird

Also known as: Leptosomus discolor, courol

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Also called:: courol

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cuckoo roller, (Leptosomus discolor), little-known bird of Madagascar and the neighbouring Comoros, named for its superficial resemblance to cuckoos but usually deemed the sole member of the family Leptosomatidae (sometimes treated as a subfamily of the Coraciidae [rollers]). It is about 43 cm (17 inches) long. The cuckoo roller is also distinguished by its zygodactyl feet, with each foot having two forward-pointing and two backward-pointing toes. Males are iridescent green above and gray below; females are brown above with tan and black spots below.

This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.